Online Ad Costs, Instagram for Restaurants &amp; More Top Stories from July

It’s hard to believe it’s almost August already. Before long, we’ll be lamenting summer trips not taken, paperbacks left unread, beaches not visited.

Summer’s not quite done with us yet, however, and we have just enough time to look back at which posts were the most popular with our readers this month. So, whether you’re on a well-deserved vacation or stuck toiling away at the office, why not take a few minutes to catch up with the best of the WordStream blog in July?

1. The Comprehensive Guide to Online Advertising Costs: Our most popular post of the month was this comprehensive guide to online advertising costs by yours truly. As one of the most common questions we receive from new readers – especially those new to online advertising – it’s an important topic and one worth exploring in more depth. Read on to find out what you need to know before launching your next campaign.

2. Best New Online Advertising Features of 2017 (So Far): This year has been a banner year for new advertising features; so much so that Allen bravely attempted to compile everything that’s been going on in the world of online ads for your convenience. Want to know which ad features you should bother with? Allen’s got you covered.

3. 13 Power Tips for #Winning Mobile Ad Copy: One of the most common mistakes advertisers make is failing to write unique ad copy for mobile. Think about it – why wouldn’t you write ads specifically for mobile campaigns? The way people interact with the web is vastly different on mobile devices than desktops, yet many advertisers don’t see the problem with reusing ad copy. In our third-most popular post of July, Navah offers 13 power tips for crushing mobile ad copy. Essential reading.

4. How to Use Google’s New Showcase Shopping Ads (First Click Free!): If you’ve been an AdWords advertiser for even a short length of time, you probably already know that Google isn’t exactly shy about introducing changes to the service. Google’s new Showcase Shopping Ads are no exception. This exciting new ad format could be very interesting to ecommerce retailers, so check out Mark’s guide to how to get the most out of Showcase Shopping Ads.

5. 7 Brilliant Nuggets of Marketing Wisdom from #MozCon: MozCon is always a highlight of the marketing conference calendar, and this year’s event was a doozy – not least because of Rand’s shocking announcement that he’s stepping back from Moz. Fortunately, the programming at this year’s MozCon was as good as we’ve come to expect from our friends on the West Coast, and in our fifth entry in this month’s round-up, Allen shares seven of the best marketing tips he heard at MozCon 2017.

6. 7 Proven Hacks to Turn Any Restaurant into an Instagram Powerhouse: If we’re being brutally honest, we’ve all mocked people for taking pictures of their food then posting them on Instagram, even though we’ve all done exactly the same thing. However, regardless of where you stand on the whole amateur food photography thing, there’s no denying the fact that Instagram is where it’s at for restaurants hoping to compete in a crowded space. If this sounds familiar, Gordon Donnelly – the latest addition to WordStream’s content team – is here to help. Follow these seven Instagram hacks for restaurants and get ready for the dinner time rush.

7. The 25 Most Expensive Keywords in Australia: Continuing our series on the most expensive keywords from around the world, our seventh-most popular post of July is this write-up by Allen focusing on the most expensive keywords in Australia. Which keywords are most costly for advertisers Down Under? You might be surprised…

8. 11 Examples of Great Customer Testimonial Pages: Customer testimonials are among the most powerfully persuasive tools at your disposal as a marketer – so why do so many customer testimonial pages suck? In this post, Margot offers 11(!) examples of how to get these vital pages right on your site. Now be honest – how many of these techniques are you using on your customer testimonial page?

9. The Feed Is Coming. Here’s How Google Could Monetize It: It might sound like a ‘50s B-movie, but The Feed is actually Google’s subtle attempt to cash in on Facebook-like content aggregation. For now, The Feed is bereft of ads, but you can rest assured that this probably won’t last long. In our penultimate post of this month’s round-up, Allen speculates on how Google could monetize its newest content offering (and pokes gentle fun at Google’s inadvertently hilarious messaging).

10. Hack Your Sales Funnel with Facebook Interest & Behavior Targeting: The traditional sales funnel is both a blessing and a curse; it offers a predictable road map for businesses hoping to drive leads and sales, but also presents many opportunities for potential conversions to be lost. In this post, Brett shows you exactly how to hack your existing sales funnel with Interest & Behavior targeting on Facebook.